Forty-Six
Tre al Tavola with Jimmy La Rocco and Guests
Guests: Theresa La Rocco (Jimmy’s mother), Theresa-Marie La Rocco (Jimmy’s sister), and Terry La Rocco (Jimmy’s aunt)
Menu:
Bruschetta with Ricotta and Fava Beans
Fettuccine Primavera
Affogato
ACT II
JIMMY: Ciao, amici! Welcome back to Tre al Tavola!
Before the break we were here with the three Theresas of my family—my mother, my sister, and my aunt.
If you’re a La Rocco there’s always a Theresa in the room.
But we’ve lost a Theresa! My sister Theresa-Marie is expecting, and she felt a little faint.
She’s completely fine, but we’re letting her and the little zeppola in the oven rest backstage until it’s time to eat.
But this show isn’t DUE al Tavola, so I’ve persuaded my trusty assistant and food stylist to make a rare on-camera appearance both as guest and a helping hand. Welcome, Clara!
[Cut to Clara Larkin taking a seat at the counter]
CLARA: Hi! Thanks for admitting me into the Theresa club.
JIMMY: Big shoes to fill!
CLARA: Yes, but I’m relieved to see they’re all sensible pumps.
JIMMY: Ah, that’s because the La Rocco women spend a lot of time on their feet in the kitchen—or as I think of it: the executive suite. All the most important decisions happen in that room. Right, Mom? Right, Aunt Terry?
[Cut to the other two Theresas nodding and laughing]
JIMMY: Okay, let’s get moving, and even though I’ve invited Clara to sit in the recently vacated guest seat, I’m going to ask her to move to the hot seat, back here in the kitchen, and give me a hand while we prepare this beautiful spring bruschetta.
[Cut to Clara behind the counter]
JIMMY: Clara, how do you feel about fava beans?
CLARA: I adore them, but they are definitely a high-maintenance vegetable.
[Cut to bowl of fava pods]
JIMMY: True. You have to work for those tender and delicious little parcels, but it’s worth it, and, as we’re about to show you, a lot of the work can be done ahead of time.
We shelled all our favas earlier today and blanched the beans, which as most of you know means dropping them very briefly in boiling water and transferring into an ice bath. And here’s what we ended up with.
[Cut to bowl of unpeeled favas]
CLARA: They don’t look very appetizing in this state.
JIMMY: They sure don’t. They look otherworldly. Like little alien beans.
[Cut to Jimmy picking up a bean with two fingers]
JIMMY: Phone home, phone home!
CLARA: Didn’t our mothers always tell us it’s the inside that counts?
JIMMY: And Mom’s always right. So why don’t you show us what’s inside.
[Cut to Clara peeling blanched favas]
CLARA: I’m giving this blanched pod a gentle squeeze. Sometimes you need to tear the outer casing a bit to get to the bean. Here it is. Look at that color.
JIMMY: I can see my mom fidgeting over there. You don’t like to peel the favas, do you, Ma?
THERESA: It’s not how we did it back in the day.
AUNT TERRY: Everything is edible. Even the skin.
JIMMY: The Theresas have spoken! Some people leave the skin on, but I find it tough and bitter.
If you have very fresh, very small beans from a garden in Italy like my mom and aunt did as kids, you can probably get away with skipping this step.
I like to put in the extra work because just look at these beauties.
[Cut to pile of peeled favas on a wooden cutting board]
JIMMY: They are gorgeous. And you can shell and peel your favas the day before if you want and keep them covered in the fridge.
Okay, so now we’re going to take these slices of semolina baguette that have been lightly toasted.
Spread some fresh ricotta on top—just like this, not too thick, not too thin.
You can get your ricotta in a supermarket, but if you make the extra effort to get to an Italian import store for fresh ricotta you won’t be sorry.
Take a spoon of the favas and arrange them prettily on top.
Like so. And now we’re going to drizzle the bruschetta with the really good olive oil and top with a bit of grated lemon zest. Spring on a plate!
[Cut to Jimmy passing the plate of bruschetta for guests]
JIMMY: How’s that taste, Mom?
THERESA: Delicious, sweetheart. Absolutely delicious. The lemon is a nice touch.
JIMMY: Ah. Nothing better than approval from Mom, who was my first—and best!—teacher. Clara, how about you? Was Mom your teacher in the kitchen?
CLARA: Your mom?
[Cut to Theresa laughing and shaking her head]
JIMMY: I meant your mom. Did she cook?
CLARA: Yes. She sure did.
JIMMY: And is Mom still with us?
CLARA: Mom is—not still with us.
JIMMY: Oh, I’m so sorry, that’s—
THERESA AND AUNT TERRY (interrupting): So sorry, Clara. What a shame.
CLARA: Thank you all. But it’s okay. It’s been a while.
JIMMY: Can I ask how long?
CLARA: She left us one night in 1977. Very unexpected. Just like that.
JIMMY: Too young. Too young to go. And what was her name?
CLARA: Nina. Josephine, but she went by Nina.
JIMMY: I’ll tell you what. This bruschetta is on my restaurant menu every spring and from now on we’re calling it Bruschetta Nina! In honor of your mom and everyone who is missing their mom on Mother’s Day.
[Camera pulls back to wide shot of the kitchen]
CLARA: How nice.
JIMMY: And I see my producer waving frantically, which means we’re ready for a quick break, but don’t step away, because we’re about to show you how to pull together a simple but flavorful Fettuccine Primavera using the asparagus that’s all over the market this week.
The perfect plate to follow Bruschetta Nina! We’ll be back in un minuto!
[Cut to commercial]